Keto Craze: A Fad or the Way to Eat?

Keto is the diet of 2019. I don’t completely get it, but it’s all the rage because people are losing weight on it. You know, Keto, where you can eat avocado, olive oil, and nuts with abandon. Alright, not abandon, but healthy fats, like the ones above and also salmon, meat, crispy chicken and eggs, aren't something to fear anymore on this regime. When eaten in moderation, they're actually rather good for you. So fill up! Everybody's doing it.

Satay Chicken with Peanut Sauce

Photo by better homes and gardens

Serves 6, can be doubled

Coconut milk and peanut butter are not usually associated with diet meal. In this keto approved recipe, it is! The high fat content of meats, and appropriate fats in the keto diet seems to help the body improve metabolism and enter a physiological state that encourages weight loss.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (3/4 to 1 pound total)

10 wooden skewers soaked for about 30 minutes before using

1 scallion thinly sliced

Marinade:

1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk

3 cloves garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder

Peanut sauce:

1/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter

3 cloves garlic minced

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl, combine all marinade ingredients and stir until well-mixed. Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch chunks and add them to the marinade, stirring to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Thread chicken chunks onto the skewers, leaving about half of each skewer empty for handling. Place them in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake at 450° F for 10 minutes, flip the skewers, and then bake another 5 minutes or until cooked through. Alternatively, you can grill the chicken skewers.

Make the sauce: Whisk peanut butter, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and olive oil in a small saucepan and cook over low heat whisking until smooth.

To Serve: Transfer chicken skewers onto a serving plate. Brush peanut sauce over the chicken. Top with sliced scallions.

Spice Crusted Salmon

Photo by Jonathan Boulton

Serves 4

A little zesty from the spices and rich from the parmesan, this salmon is very filling. The healthy fat in salmon creates the satiating feeling you get from a full flavored dish. The Keto diet allows salmon and cheese.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Season salmon with 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning and pepper, then add to the skillet skin-side up. Cook salmon until deeply golden, about 6 minutes, then flip and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.

Add butter and garlic to skillet. When the butter has melted, stir in broth, lemon juice, honey, remaining teaspoon Cajun seasoning, parsley, and Parmesan. Bring mixture to a simmer.

Reduce heat to medium and add the salmon back to the skillet. Simmer until the sauce has reduced and the salmon is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more.

Add lemon slices to skillet and serve.

Garlicky Lemon Halibut

Photo by Ethan Calabrese

Use any hearty fish in this dish, halibut, cod, sea bass or Mahi Mahi.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

3 tablespoons butter, divided

4 (4-oz.) halibut fillets

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 lb. asparagus

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 lemon, sliced

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon each of butter and olive oil. Add halibut and season with salt and pepper. Cook until golden, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.

To skillet, add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add asparagus and cook until tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a plate.

To skillet, add remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Once melted, add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, 1 minute, then stir in lemon, zest, juice, and parsley. Remove from heat, then return fish and asparagus to skillet and spoon over sauce.

Veggie Taco Cups

Serves 6

The Keto diet it allows for non-traditional diet type foods, like cheddar cheese, These veggie meat taco cups are a hit in these adorable cheese cups.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 cup shredded cheddar

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. Vegetarian ground meat (NOTE* use vegetarian ground meat with the cheese in this recipe, if you prefer ground meat, then OMIT the cheese and sour cream to keep it kosher. Kosher dietary laws do not permit mixing milk and meat products)

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Sour cream, for serving

Diced avocado, for serving

Freshly chopped cilantro, for serving

Chopped tomatoes, for serving

Preheat oven to 375°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon about 2 tablespoons cheddar a few inches apart. Bake until bubbly and edges are beginning to turn golden, about 6 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for a minute.

Meanwhile, grease bottom of a muffin tin with cooking spray, then carefully pick up melted cheese slices and place on bottom of muffin tin. Fit with another inverted muffin tin and let cool 10 minutes. If you don't have a second muffin tin, use your hands to help mold the cheese around the inverted tin.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, then add vegetarian beef, breaking up and mixing with a wooden spoon. Cook about 6 minutes.

Return vegetarian meat to skillet and season with chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Transfer cheese cups to a serving platter. Fill with cooked filling and top with sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and tomatoes.

Oregano Garlic Chicken

Photo by Calabrese

Serves 4

Classic ingredients, perfect flavor combination right here, but with the keto diet, you can sear the chicken in a skillet, creating great flavor on the cooked skin.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Juice of 1 lemon

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 lb. chicken thighs

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lb. asparagus, ends removed

1 zucchini, sliced into half moons

1 lemon, sliced

In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano. Whisk until combined then add chicken thighs and toss to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, heat remaining tablespoon olive oil. Season both sides of marinated chicken with salt and pepper, then add chicken skin-side down and pour in the remaining marinade.

Sear until the skin becomes golden and crispy, about 10 minutes. Flip chicken and add asparagus, zucchini and lemons to the skillet.

Transfer pan to oven and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Elizabeth Kurtz is the creator of gourmetkoshercooking.com and columnist for the Jerusalem Post, Aish.com, and other national magazines. She is a featured chef on videos for Recipe Box TV on aol.com and yahoo.com. She is passionate about food and entertaining and loves teaching cooking classes. Her first cookbook titled, CELEBRATE, food, family, shabbos is in stores now, on Amazon.com and "celebrates", 200 original recipes easy enough for everyday and special enough for Shabbos or any holiday. She can be reached at ekurtz@gourmetkoshercooking.com

As much as I appreciate the effort in your article it is upsetting to see how much is invested in promoting bad habits.
Unbiased science has proven how harmful animal products are and refined oils are.

Raymond,
August 26, 2019 6:00 AM

Animal Products Are Just Fine

Contrary to what you have been told, most animal products are actually perfectly healthy to eat. What one really has to watch out for, are refined plant products, such as vegetable oils, fruit juices, and junk food in general.

Nancy,
August 26, 2019 6:45 AM

Better to stay away from them

Decades of unbiased serious research has shown unequivocally that a plant-based diet is the healthiest, and that humans should stay away from animal products as much as possible. If you want to eat them, that's your choice, but they're not "perfectly healthy".

(1)
Deborah Scop,
August 25, 2019 4:49 PM

Great recipes

What a wonderful article. Love keto and love these recipes. The salmon and the taco ones really grabbed my interest. I'd love to try those soon. Thank you!